I never imagined I would meet video game legend and first-person pioneer John Romero, and especially not in Yorkshire.

Last week, a packed-out WX Wakefield Exchange played host to Game Republic‘s Dark and Doomy gathering. The main draw being a Fireside Chat with the bitch-making ‘rockstar’ developer of Wolfenstein 3D, Quake, and (of course) DOOM. Hearing about the event through the Creative Wakefield network, I made sure I was there to meet the man responsible for bringing a touch of Metal to the gaming world.

Equal respect was paid to his wife, Brenda Romero, who had many stories of her own from her work on tabletop games and the Wizardry series. The chat was a fascinating hour of anecdotes and insight, covering how both found themselves in the industry before it became an industry, and touching on id Software’s collaboration with Trent Reznor on the Quake soundtrack.

While I sidled up to grab his Doom Guy autobiography and pose for a very awkward photo (with thanks to Alex from Rebellion for doing the honours) we had a chat about the Doomed 486 days. I spent many entertaining early-nineties nights in the computer labs at Bradford University, waiting eagerly for the shareware edition of Episode 1 to drop, dying repeatedly in countless deathmatches against my peers, and playtesting one of the first-ever .WAD files developed by a classmate. In retrospect, it’s no wonder I flunked.

Although I’m not as eager a gamer as I was back then, I took the opportunity to investigate other game developers sharing projects old and new inspired by Romero’s work. Local luminaries Team17 were in attendance, offering an emulated edition of Amiga classic Alien Breed 3D. Of special interest was Manchester’s Paranomalous Games, showcasing an early (yet playable) build of Voxel Keeper. A spiritual successor to a certain Dungeon-themed game of yore, with more than a hint of Minecraft to empower the 3D domain-tunnelling.

The main event of the evening was The Dark Room, a raucously interactive ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ game presented by Australian comedian John Robertson, adorned in fetching glowing spaulders that mostly survived the show.

Starting (and very often restarting) in the eponymous room, the game was presented as a sequence of four options, each leading further along the route to freedom or death. Picking a member of the audience for each run through, he improvised his way through their choices as they led themselves to their inevitable demise. With the clock ticking down and a dual effort by the Romeros failing to make it out, things became increasingly manic and sweary – ultimately offering democratic decision to the crowd factions who could shout the loudest.

We did not escape.

It’s a very exciting time to be in and around the WF postcode, with a big push from Creative Wakefield to showcase more engaging events and opportunities in the region. Many of the technologies used in modern film production, especially virtual sets and volumes, owe their origin to the games industry. The divisions between disciplines fade as we find the common ground to tell our tales.

Game Republic: https://gamerepublic.net/
Voxel Keeper: https://www.voxelkeeper.com/
The Dark Room: https://www.thejohnrobertson.com/thedarkroom/
Creative Wakefield: https://creativewakefield.net/

Il gioco perduto di John Romero: Project Redwood univa World of Warcraft, creature da addestrare e idee educative

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.galaxyaddicted.it/2026/03/john-romero-project-redwood-mmo-perduto/

Ich durfte auf der #DevLand - The Next Generation of Development in Rust einen Fireside Chat mit John Romero moderieren... #PlatzenVorStolz

Ein paar Gedanken aus dem Talk: Viele seiner Aussagen zur Spieleentwicklung lassen sich erstaunlich gut auf Produkt- und Softwareentwicklung wie auch Innovation allgemein übertragen.

#Wolfenstein3D #Doom #Quake #Innovation #Development #SoftwareEntwicklung #RetroGaming #JohnRomero @DOAGeV

NEU: "Doom III – Wendig und intensiv, auch ohne Bett" von @kkuez

Doom – Ein Name, ein Programm: id Software vor Rage, ein Wagnis. Und was für eins. Was erstmal einseitig-alt-bekannt-öde klingt, unterhält bis heute. Und wenn wir uns zurückerinnern, dann auch eines, das gewagter war, als was Mensch bis dahin kannte.

https://videospielgeschichten.de/doom-iii-wendig-und-intensiv-auch-ohne-bett/

#Doom3 #Doom #idsoftware #JohnRomero #JohnCarmack

Doom III – Wendig und intensiv, auch ohne Bett

Doom – Ein Name, ein Programm: id Software vor Rage, ein Wagnis. Und was für eins. Was erstmal einseitig-alt-bekannt-öde klingt, unterhält bis heute. Und wenn wir uns zurückerinnern, dann auch eines, das gewagter war, als was Mensch bis dahin kannte. Die Rede ist von Doom III, seinen Eigenheiten, der Rezeption, und natürlich, am wichtigsten, des Charakters. Wenn die Ausrichtung, welche Doom damit nahm, so genannt werden kann.

John Romero celebra i 32 anni di Doom e ringrazia i fan che ne hanno alimentato la leggenda

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.galaxyaddicted.it/2025/12/john-romero-32-anniversario-doom-ringraziamento-fan/

***
Grandi notizie! 🤯 Il FPS cancellato di John Romero (Doom co-creatore), ridimensionato a indie, è salvo! Con $50M di asset riutilizzati, promette un'esperienza innovativa alla Elden Ring. "Mai visto nulla del genere!" #GiochiPC #Notizievideogiochi #gamingnews #Videogiochi #Doom #johnromero

👉 https://www.absolutegamer.it/videogioco-fps-abbandonato-co-creatore-doom-riprogettato-elden-ring/

After about two years of on-and-off reading, I finally finished John Romero's Doom Guy: Life in First Person.

Turns out that being at home all the time isn't conducive to reading for me, so I've made it through most of it during my internship periods.

A fascinating read, anyway, and I've gained a greater appreciation for both the man and his works.

Emag eht niw uoy.

#JohnRomero #DoomGuy #DoomGuyLifeInFirstPerson #reading #book #books